The 10 Best Easy Fingerpicking Songs for Beginners

Learning fingerpicking guitar (or “fingerstyle guitar” as it’s also called) can be overwhelming.  You see YouTube’s of people like Andy McKee or Tommy Emmanuel and you think, “not me”.  But playing this kind of music is like the journey of a thousand miles – you have to start with a single step.

So where to start?

Choosing Easy Fingerpicking Songs

If you search around for easy fingerpicking songs or tab, it’s obvious that the 1960’s and 70’s were a golden age for this genre with folks like:  Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, and, of course, the Beatles.

Based on that era, and more modern fare, I’ve compiled a list of 10 great fingerpicking songs that:

• Are perfect for beginners of all background.
• Are easy and well known.
• Cover different genres.
• Represent the “most often recommended” songs for those genres.

A special thanks to reddit, Guitardomination.net, and posts here and here, for providing some great lists as inspiration.  If you want to see some more ideas, make sure to check out their posts.

NOTE: If you’re just getting started on fingerpicking, I highly recommend Don Ross’s “Fingerstyle” course at JamPlay.  He does an excellent job breaking down basic fingerpicking technique – including Travis picking, hand placement, etc. – to quickly get you up and running.  (Head ups, if you click through that link and end up signing for his course, a few bucks will come back to support this site.  Thanks in advance!)

The List

1. Blackbird (The Beatles)

Key of G, melodic, beautiful.  Destined to be your first fingerpicking song.

“Blackbird” tab
“Blackbird” MP3

2. Dust In The Wind (Kansas)

This song does double duty.  Use the same picking and chord patterns to play “Landslide”, by Fleetwood Mac.

“Dust in the Wind” tab
“Dust in the Wind” MP3

3. Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers)

“I know, I know, I know, I know, I know…”

“Ain’t No Sunshine” tab
“Ain’t No Sunshine” MP3

4. Nothing Else Matters (Metallica)

The rythym guitar parts fall into the “beginner” category, the lead acoustic guitar…well, not so much.

“Nothing Else Matters” tab
“Nothing Else Matters” MP3

5. Shape of My Heart (Sting)

A bit obscure, but a really beautiful song well within the reach of someone just getting into the world of fingerstyle guitar.

“Shape of My Heart” tab
“Shape of My Heart” MP3

6. Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright (Bob Dylan)

The nice thing is that you’ll be able to play this as good as Bob in about 20 minutes. (But he did it while playing harmonica and spouting poetry like a Norse god.)

“Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” tab
“Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” mp3

7. Good Riddance (Green Day)

Because rock.

“Good Riddance” tab
“Good Riddance” MP3

8. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (Led Zeppelin)

Haunting, classic.

“Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” tab
“Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” MP3

9. Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley)

No, this song was not written for Shrek.  And Jeff Buckley’s version is best.  Look it up.

“Hallelujah” tab
“Hallelujah” MP3

10.  The Boxer (Simon and Garfunkel)

Everything Paul Simon does is beautiful.  His early work is the most perfect combination of songwriting, guitar style, and vocal performance ever known.

“The Boxer” tab
“The Boxer” MP3

Bonus:

11. Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin)

The obligatory joke song from Wayne’s World.  The truth is that it’s actually a great fingerstyle guitar piece.  The chords are a bit tricky, but worth the work.

“Stairway to Heaven” tab
“Stairyway to Heaven” MP3

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So what about House of the Rising Sun? Fire and Rain? Hotel California? I know, I know. There are so many great tunes to choose from.  This list feels like it’s just scratching the service.  Try checking out some of the other posts mentioned above for more inspiration. Or…

Got suggestions?  Add them in the comments below!

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