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20 Guitar Classics You Sure Want to Know How to Play

July 14, 2011 By Klaus Crow 30 Comments

Last Updated on April 2, 2020 by Klaus Crow

Photo by John W. Tuggle
Guitar players (beginners and intermediate) ask me from time to time which songs they really should know how to play on the guitar.

Sure there are a lot of songs you can mention but there are always certain songs that stand out from the rest and which most guitar players want to know how to play when they start out.

I still know how great it felt and what a victory it was when I could play “Sweet child o’ mine” and “More than words” for the first time. The golden days of learning your classics you will never forget.

To give you an idea of what guitar songs have really made a name for itself I put together a list with 20 guitar classics with help and many thanks of guitar players on twitter and in real life.

I appreciate every song you want to add to this list. I know the list is far from complete and not each and every song may suit your taste, but it’s here to give you some inspiration. You might want to learn to play some great classics that have made musical history.

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Enjoy!

1 Hotel California – The Eagles – Tabs

2 Nothing else matters – Metallica – Tabs

3 More than words – Extreme – Tabs

4 Wonderwall – Oasis – Tabs

5 Stairway to heaven – Led Zeppelin – Tabs

6 Sweet child o’ mine – Guns ‘n roses – Tabs

7 Knocking on heavens door – Bob Dylan Chords

8 Sweet home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd – Tabs

9 Wish you were here – Pink Floyd – Tabs

10 Blackbird – The Beatles – Tabs

11 Smoke on the water – Deep Purple – Tabs

12 Under the bridge – Red hot chili peppers – Tabs

13 Dust in the wind – Kansas – Tabs

14 Heart of gold – Neil Young – Tabs

15 Sunshine of your love – Cream – Tabs

16 Autumn leaves – Tabs

17 Girl from Ipanema – Antonio Carlos Jobim – Tabs

18 Smells like teen spirit – Nirvana – Tabs

19 Give a little bit – Supertramp – Tabs

20 Tears in heaven – Eric Clapton – Tabs

Here is one song I really love. It’s not necessarily a guitar classic, but just a beautiful song I often play. Originally written by the Bee Gees, but this version by Ray La Montagne and Damien Rice makes me fall in love with it over and over again.

1 To love somebody – Ray La Montagne & Damien Rice

What is your favorite guitar classic?
Please share in the comments.

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Comments

  1. Matthew Lane says

    July 14, 2011 at 9:44 pm

    I thought your list (with a pass for Neil Young – he’s just undeniable) was kind of generic … the “do you know ‘Freebird’?” list that every guitar player needs before taking his or her guitar to a party. But you brought it home with your “addition” to the list … That version of “To Love Somebody” is nothing short of incredible. I watch the YouTube video of it regularly, and my brother and I did a similar version together at my wedding reception.

    Thanks for the great site. I think I’ll go home and learn a song from your top twenty.

  2. Michael says

    July 14, 2011 at 11:27 pm

    my guitar classic (this moment) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rePcHxFJIuU death cab for a cutie , i’ll follow you into the dark. play it in different ways, you can also fingerpick it like simon and garfunkels ‘the boxer’ …

  3. Leonie-Marie Mete says

    July 15, 2011 at 6:58 am

    Thank you for your article! I never thought of learning songs as a “victory”, but it is! If fact, I’ve seen it as such a mountain in my mind, that I have been overwhelmed by it too many times, I get stuck. Unfortunity tho, the freedom experienced once you have a song under your belt, is so rewarding, you cant not want to commit! If I learn a song a week, then that is 52 in a year! Then it will become a habit I will get use too!

  4. Michael Haber says

    July 17, 2011 at 5:43 am

    Hey very good song choices!!! Although i feel the fact that theres no Jimi Hendrix in there at all is a lil bit of a downer. There should definitely be maybe some little wing, castles made of sand, or wind cries mary action, but other than that very strong song choices!

  5. Juri says

    July 17, 2011 at 10:41 am

    Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing a must !

  6. Dennis Meeks says

    July 21, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    I’m from the OLD coffee house generation. Back then it was the Animals, “House of the Rising Sun”
    On most open mic nights you would hear, “Hey Joe”,and “Words” It was the time of the Hippie generation. I was in the Army during that time but we had our own Coffee House in one of the Service Clubs on Post every Thursday night.

  7. Nino says

    July 29, 2011 at 5:54 pm

    Any My Morning Jacket song.

  8. Klaus Crow says

    September 17, 2011 at 6:43 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Thanks for sharing your favorite guitar classics. Love reading your comments.

    You’re awesome!

    Thanks,
    Klaus

  9. Mark says

    December 26, 2011 at 1:05 am

    I like your choice of songs . The song that got me into guitar was Van Halen Aint talkin about love . I remember it was 1989 and I was living in California and I heard the song from the 1984 album. I also heard Eruption which made something in my head click.It was the beginning of a long journey.Regards Mark

  10. Glenn says

    February 2, 2012 at 8:39 am

    Hey what about Santana??? Black Magic Woman? or Bon Jovi, Wanted Dead Or Alive? And the best of all…..My Sharona by the Knack!!!

  11. Nehal says

    April 20, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    Master of Puppets – Metallica
    Rock You Like a Hurricane – The Scorpions

  12. Klaus Crow says

    April 20, 2012 at 8:43 pm

    Hi Nehal,
    Thanks for your contribution.

    “Master of puppets” is indeed a heavy metal classic we can not ignore.

    Best regards,
    Klaus Crow

  13. Wayne says

    May 17, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    Layla by Eric Clapton.

  14. Dan says

    May 31, 2012 at 7:25 am

    Certainly any rock guitarist would have some love for Kirk Hammet’s biological father, Mr. Tony Iommi.

  15. pringlepoacher says

    June 27, 2012 at 6:59 am

    It’s great to see the passion that everyone has for “their” music. The great thing is that we get to share it with the world! I have seen this list recreated many times over the years and as always it’s hard to dispute any artist left in or out. The point being that we are all artists. We just paint our pictures in a different way.

  16. puhawang says

    December 17, 2012 at 1:50 am

    That song is good for learn guitar… i like so much…

  17. John says

    December 20, 2012 at 10:21 am

    Good selection…summer of 69 is a must

  18. gary says

    December 23, 2012 at 2:08 pm

    layla by Eric clapton

  19. Arthur says

    March 16, 2013 at 6:46 am

    wow, when i saw this i felt great because i know how to play four songs here, namely blackbird, more than words, stairway to heaven and sweet child o mine. looks like i need to learn the next 16! ;)

  20. chris says

    May 5, 2013 at 10:54 pm

    Here comes the sun was my first and jam with george on you tube regularly

  21. Klaus Crow says

    May 9, 2013 at 10:13 pm

    Hi Chris,

    Thanks for mentioning. That’s a great classic.

    Best regards,
    Klaus Crow

  22. Shane Thompson says

    July 3, 2013 at 7:20 am

    I love the guitar in “Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz.
    House of the Rising Sun is a great one to learn, and Johnny B Goode, definately should be mentioned!

    Great article!

  23. Sandy says

    July 10, 2013 at 3:00 pm

    I really wanted to learn to play guitar but the problem is that I was not given a chance to do it. But if I could maybe I was also playing guitar in some weddings too as sideline.

  24. Sabrina says

    July 23, 2013 at 12:54 am

    Shouldn’t “Hey There Delilah” be there??

  25. MK says

    August 12, 2013 at 6:00 pm

    Stairway to Heaven, is a good song for beginners, because it flexes a lot of chords, picking, and neck movements. It may be the best one for beginners to learn on.
    IMHO

  26. Natasha says

    August 24, 2013 at 12:29 pm

    I love all those song options and I’m really glad i actually know how to play a few of them. One song i would recommend is “Romance de Amour”. it may not be a classic but its a really fun song to play and it really helps with the speed of your fingering, and it allows a lot of room to improvise and be creative !!!

  27. Cardosa says

    January 16, 2014 at 11:44 pm

    Nice list :)

    To be honest i was looking for, classic guitar songs to get inspired to learn :) .

    Love all the songs from the list and i leave here another kind of “style”, hoping someone get’s inspired ^^

    Asturias – Isac Albeniz

  28. Marco says

    February 3, 2014 at 12:24 am

    1 Yes
    2 Yes
    3 No
    4 No
    5 Yes
    6 Yes
    7 Eh
    8 No
    9 Yes
    10 Yes
    11 Yes
    12 No
    13 No
    14 No
    15 Yes
    16 No
    17 Yes
    18 Yes
    19 No
    20 No

  29. Ally says

    April 23, 2014 at 10:04 pm

    Simple kind of Man is another classic that when you play with people they should know.

  30. Branden says

    June 12, 2014 at 1:37 am

    My favorite classic is: simple man-lynard skynyrd

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