The guitar can be very fun, but only when you have the ideas for some great songs to play on it, isn’t it?
In this post I will give you a list of some of the most fun-to-play songs to play on guitar, along with several tips on how to make the experience better.
First, it will start with a top 11 list of my absolute favorites, and then a top 101 list with many other songs that are a blast to play.
Notice that the songs in the 101 songs list are arranged A-Z for your convenience, and that each song is linked to the best version of the chords on Ultimate Guitar. I’ve already done the filtering work for you so you can go straight to playing it.
At the end of the post I also have a PDF bonus songbook for you, which shares a lot of songs with this list, but also has many great ones that aren’t here, so basically, you’re getting 150+ songs ideas today.
Enjoy!
Table of Contents
ToggleThe Top 11 Most Fun Songs to Play on Guitar, Easy to Harder (Huge Top 101 List Follows Below)
Along with some inspiring acoustic live examples, not necessarily from the original artist…
Before we get into the longer 101 songs list, here are my absolute favorites to play on the guitar, ranked subjectively by my own humble opinion.
Jason Mraz – I’m Yours (Chords)
Yes, it’s definitely an overplayed song – but I think that if you’re really tuning in to these beautiful happy vibes of the song and you authentically feel like playing it at this moment – people can’t help but jump on this bandwagon with you.
And they all know the lyrics anyways…
Old Crow Medicine Show – Wagon Wheel (Chords)
A Southern classic with just 4 chords and a lot of character. Always fun to play, and especially if you’re around people and everyone’s had a drink or two – get ready because this is about to become an energetic karaoke session.
For extra effect – throw in a harmonica solo with a harmonica holder…
The original OCMW version is played in the key of A but I find that for most peoples’ voices it’s easier to play it as G-D-Em-C and then G-D-C, over and over (these chords are also easier than the matching chords in the key of A).
Sublime – What I Got (Chords)
A super groovy and fun two-chord song, which still manages to be very fun because of the arpeggiated picking pattern involved. (which takes great precision and practice to actually play it in a groovy way that moves people’s bodies)
I love how people often love bursting in and singing it with you.
Otis Redding – Sitting on the Dock of the Bay (Chords)
A beautiful soul classic that works like magic in bringing you (and those who listen to you) into a sweet, warm mood.
The chords are also interesting and present many different ways in which you can play them. Here’s a fingerpicked version I really like, simple and chill – by Joseph Solomon.
Bob Marley – No Woman No Cry (Chords)
Another one that will never fail you in lifting up your mood and also your listeners’ mood. Plus it also has some cool bass passages you can learn which make it even more fun to play.
One tip I have learned about playing it – is to play around with a capo to make sure it fits your voice. It also sounds very beautiful with a capo on the 4th fret (along with the chords attached here, mostly C-G-Am-F which sound much nicer with that capo).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvA2RNci3SE
Eagles – Hotel California (Chords)
Well, I think this one’s still super fun to play even after you played it 100’s of times – there’s so much energy in that chord progression. (especially in the later verses and lyrics)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under the Bridge (Chords)
Yes, this one can take years to master if you’re also shooting to play it with all the “Hendrix style” fast riffs that John Frusciante (RHCP’s guitarist) adds himself – but you can also play it in a more simple version with just the chords – and get one of the most beautiful acoustic songs ever.
And yes, I had to include this acoustic version from Amsterdam in 1991 since it’s still one of my favorite YT videos to date, even ~15 years after first discovering it.
They are playing it on a boat, just the two of them, way before they were very famous, the pure talent is just shining – and especially the emotions that you can feel coming out from both of them. Don’t miss this video.
Bob Dylan – Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright (Chords)
This song is on the advanced side and involves a beautiful folk-fingerpicking pattern, but once you got it down, you can beautifully play any other folk song from the 60s-70s. (and also – there are many different ways to play this pattern)
So especially if this song has ever touched you, I highly recommend putting in the time to learn this.
Here’s a beautiful version of it by The Other Favorites – Josh Turner and Carson McKee – who also sing it beautifully with great harmonies.
Frank Sinatra – Fly Me to the Moon (Chords)
The beautiful thing about this classic – is that it can also serve as a great introduction to playing jazzy tunes.
Because the chords by themselves can all be played also as simple maj7/min7/dom7 chords (besides one of them, a Bdim7) – so you can get a lot of the jazzy feel that this song naturally has, without having to work around chords that you’ve never seen before.
Here’s one relaxed interpretation of it that I really like:
Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely (Chords)
This is another one that is on the challenging side and includes many fancy jazz chords and a complicated groove, (although you can also play almost all of the chords simply as maj7/min7/dom7) but it surely is worth the time and the journey to learn these two ingredients – as it can mark a new stage in your guitar journeys.
And in general, Stevie Wonder’s songs are excellent new benchmarks to put your time into learning, because each one of them can teach you a lot of new things about the guitar.
Here’s a version of me playing it on the guitar and the harmonica:
Bobby Hebb – Sunny (Chords)
Another one which is aimed more towards the advanced players watching this, and can be extremely rewarding to learn.
It can also sound good in so many different ways, from a chill, slow picking, and all the way to super fast gypsy jazz style, as you can see in this version below:
101 of the Most Fun Songs to Play on Guitar (Sorted A-Z)
Allman Brothers Band – Ramblin’ Man (chords)
Ben E. King – Stand By Me (chords)
Bill Withers – Ain’t No Sunshine (chords)
Bob Dylan – Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright (chords)
Bob Dylan – Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (chords)
Bob Dylan – The Man In Me (chords)
Bob Marley – I Shot the Sheriff (chords)
Bob Marley – Jammin’ (chords)
Bob Marley – No Woman No Cry (chords)
Bob Marley – Three Little Birds (chords)
Bobby Hebb – Sunny (chords)
Bruce Springsteen – The River (chords)
Cat Stevens – If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out (chords)
Cat Stevens – Wild World (chords)
Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode (chords)
Coldplay – Fix You (chords)
Coldplay – The Scientist (chords)
Coldplay – Yellow (chords)
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising (chords)
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Have You Ever Seen the Rain (chords)
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Looking Out My Backdoor (chords)
Don McLean – American Pie (chords)
Ed Sheeran – A Team (chords)
Ed Sheeran – Lego House (chords)
Ed Sheeran – Shape of You (chords)
Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud (chords)
Elton John – Rocket Man (chords)
Elton John – Tiny Dancer (chords)
Eric Clapton – Layla (chords)
Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight (chords)
Extreme – More Than Words (chords)
Frank Sinatra – Fly Me to the Moon (chords)
Grateful Dead – Ripple (chords)
Grease – You’re the One That I Want (chords)
Green Day – Time of Your Life (chords)
Green Day – When I Come Around (chords)
Grover Washington Jr. – Just the Two of Us (chords)
Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child o’ Mine (chords)
Jack Johnson – Banana Pancakes (chords)
Jack Johnson – Better Together (chords)
Jason Mraz – I’m Yours (chords)
Leonard Cohen / Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah (chords)
Jimi Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower (chords)
Jimi Hendrix – Hey Joe (chords)
Jimi Hendrix – Little Wing (chords)
Jimi Hendrix – The Wind Cries Mary (chords)
John Denver – Country Roads (chords)
John Mayer – Daughters (chords)
John Mayer – Gravity (chords)
John Mayer – Slow Dancing In a Burning Room (chords)
Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues (chords)
Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire (chords)
Joni Mitchell – Big Yellow Taxi (chords)
Justin Bieber – Love Yourself (chords)
Kansas – Dust In the Wind (chords)
Lumineers – Ho Hey (chords)
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Freebird (chords)
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Simple Man (chords)
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama (chords)
Neil Young – Heart of Gold (chords)
Norah Jones – Don’t Know Why (chords)
Oasis – Don’t Look Back In Anger (chords)
Old Crow Medicine Show – Wagon Wheel (chords)
Otis Redding – Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay (chords)
Outkast – Hey Ya (chords)
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (chords)
Queen – Love of My Life (chords)
Randy Newman – You’ve Got a Friend In Me (chords)
Ray Charles – Georgia On My Mind (chords)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Soul to Squeeze (chords)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under the Bridge (chords)
Robert Johnson – Sweet Home Chicago (chords)
Roy Orbinson – Pretty Woman (chords)
Simon & Garfunkel – America (chords)
Stealers Wheel – Stuck In the Middle with You (chords)
Steve Miller Band – The Joker (chords)
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Life By the Drop (chords)
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Pride and Joy (chords)
Stevie Wonder – For Once In My Life (chords)
Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely (chords)
Sublime -What I Got (chords)
The Band – Ophelia (chords)
The Band – The Weight (chords)
The Beatles – Blackbird (chords)
The Beatles – Let It Be (chords)
The Beatles – While My Guitar Gently Weeps (chords)
The Eagles – Hotel California (chords)
The Eagles – Take It Easy (chords)
The Mamas and the Papas – California Dreamin’ (chords)
The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin (chords)
The Rolling Stones – You Can’t Always Get What You Want (chords)
Tom Petty – American Girl (chords)
Tom Petty – Free Fallin (chords)
Tom Petty – Mary Jane’s Last Dance (chords)
Tom Petty – Wildflowers (chords)
Train – Hey Soul Sister (chords)
Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl (chords)
Vance Joy – Georgia (chords)
Vance Joy – Riptide (chords)
Xavier Rudd – Follow the Sun (chords)
The Ultimate Guitar Songbook (110+ of the Most Fun to Play Songs)
I hope this list has given you some ideas, and if you want to have another bunch of awesome songs in a fancy PDF form (many of them also appear on the list above), feel free to download the songbook in this link.
You” find more details about the songbook underneath the two pictures (and don’t worry, there’s a lot more to it than Wonderwall and Hallelujah, you’d be delighted)
Songs by a Huge Variety of Artists: Including classics by The Beatles, Bob Marley, Oasis, Ed Sheeran, Rolling Stones, Outkast, Eagles, Pink Floyd, Jason Mraz, Eric Clapton and countless others.
- PRINTABLE: (see the example picture below) For a few bucks you can get the book printed and bound at your local office equipment store. This way – you can always easily come up with a fun song to play in any situation.
- The Relevant Chords Diagrams are Attached to Each One of the Songs: This makes the book very easy to learn with – especially in challenging songs.