There’s this one thing that is so completely awesome about the guitar. I love the fact that you can choose to be in two complete different worlds. One moment I plug in my electric guitar to make it rock, scream, tear up the place and feel ecstatic.
Other times I want to indulge in beautiful acoustic guitar songs and get swept away by beautiful melodies, harmonies and lyrics. It’s the best of both worlds. Obviously today were gonna look at some of the best songs of all time on acoustic.
Benefits of Playing Acoustic Guitar Songs
An obvious but awesome fact about acoustic guitar songs is that they are played on the acoustic guitar (duh!). Why I say that is because our steel string buddy is an accessible and affordable instrument for anyone who wants to learn it, but it’s also the most mobile friendly instrument that sounds and feels mature at the same time.
It’s a convenient instrument for playing your songs at home, with your friends, in the studio, on stage, or when you’re traveling. You don’t need to plug in, so freedom is yours to practice wherever you are. With all the different shapes & sizes and ways to adjust it you can choose a guitar that fits your style of music, matches the anatomy of your body, arms, hands and fingers, and your personal taste of sound and design. Playing and singing songs will just get better.
Best Acoustic Guitar Songs of all time
Time and time again you will see these songs appear in the billboards and Top 50 of all time because these tunes have earned their stripes as best acoustic guitar songs ever. We’ve picked the songs that are timeless, ideally suited for the steel string western guitar and favorite of many guitar players around the world.
Every accomplished guitar player can play almost any of the songs on this list as they are part of the evergreen acoustic guitar songs classics. This is perfect study material for the beginner and intermediate guitar student.
How to approach and practice the songs
As with all lists on this blog they are here to give you inspiration. The lists are in no particular order and incomplete. And it doesn’t matter, what matters is that you grab your guitar out of the stand and start learning these great guitar songs.
Maybe you’ll find a song or artist you haven’t heard before and be pleasantly surprised or you stumble upon a song you haven’t heard in a while and it makes you feel good again. I suggest you pick a few songs and study them thoroughly using the chord and tab sheets provided or watch a video lesson if you need some extra help.
You can also check out the easier guitar classics if you’re just starting out. If you practiced them well enough and feel comfortable to play them to your friends and family you can add them to your repertoire to expand your guitar song vocabulary. Let’s make some progress.
Enjoy!
| Song | Artist | Chords | Tabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel California (Hell freezes over) | The Eagles | Chords | Tabs |
| Blackbird | Paul McCartney | Chords | Tabs |
| Angie | Rolling Stones | Chords | Tabs |
| Heart of gold | Neil Young | Chords | Tabs |
| More than words | Extreme | Chords | Tabs |
| Song | Artist | Chords | Tabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wonderwall | Oasis | Chords | Tabs |
| Layla | Eric Clapton | Chords | Tabs |
| To be with you | Mr.Big | Chords | Tabs |
| Under the bridge | RHCP | Chords | Tabs |
| Working class hero | John Lennon | Chords | Tabs |
| Song | Artist | Chords | Tabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crazy little thing called love | Queen | Chords | Tabs |
| The times they are a changing | Bob Dylan | Chords | Tabs |
| Dust in the wind | Kansas | Chords | Tabs |
| Daughters | John Mayer | Chords | Tabs |
| Everlong (acoustic) | Foo Fighters | Chords | Tabs |
Acoustic Guitar Video Lesson:
Wonderwall – Oasis
| Song | Artist | Chords | Tabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| The scientist (acoustic) | Coldplay | Chords | Tabs |
| The river | Bruce Springsteen | Chords | Tabs |
| Ain’t no sunshine | Bill Withers | Chords | Tabs |
| When the stars go blue | Ryan Adams | Chords | Tabs |
| Teach your children | Crosby Still Nash & Young | Chords | Tabs |
| Song | Artist | Chords | Tabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannonball | Damien Rice | Chords | Tabs |
| Trouble | Ray La Montagne | Chords | Tabs |
| Jolene | Dolly Parton | Chords | Tabs |
| Wild horses | The Rolling Stones | Chords | Tabs |
| Redemption song | Bob Marley | Chords | Tabs |
| Song | Artist | Chords | Tabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free falling | Tom Petty | Chords | Tabs |
| She talks to angels | Black Crowes | Chords | Tabs |
| Fire and rain | James Taylor | Chords | Tabs |
| Give a little bit | Supertramp | Chords | Tabs |
| Pride and joy (acoustic) | Stevie Ray Vaughan | Chords | Tabs |
Acoustic Guitar Video Lesson:
Redemption song – Bob Marley
| Song | Artist | Chords | Tabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sound of silence | Simon and Garfunkel | Chords | Tabs |
| Sweet home chicago | Robert Johnson | Chords | Tabs |
| Patience | Guns ‘n roses | Chords | Tabs |
| Leaving on a jet plane | John Denver | Chords | Tabs |
| Have you ever seen the rain | CCR | Chords | Tabs |
| Song | Artist | Chords | Tabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Coldplay | Chords | Tabs |
| The needle and the damage done | Neil Young | Chords | Tabs |
| Horse with no name | America | Chords | Tabs |
| Banana Pancakes | Jack Johnson | Chords | Tabs |
| About a girl | Nirvana | Chords | Tabs |
| Song | Artist | Chords | Tabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| American pie | Don McClean | Chords | Tabs |
| Jack and Diane | John Mellencamp | Chords | Tabs |
| Iris | Goo goo dolls | Chords | Tabs |
| Wanted (Dead or Alive) | Bon Jovi | Chords | Tabs |
| Both sides now | Joni Mitchell | Chords | Tabs |
Acoustic Guitar Video Lesson:
Yellow – Coldplay
| Song | Artist | Chords | Tabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tears in heaven | Eric Clapton | Chords | Tabs |
| Maggie May | Rod Stewart | Chords | Tabs |
| Good riddance (time of your life) | Greenday | Chords | Tabs |
| The A-team | Ed Sheeran | Chords | Tabs |
| I will follow you into the dark | Death cab for cutie | Chords | Tabs |
What’s your favorite acoustic guitar song?
Please share in the comments.