Basic Guitar Song Chords

Here are some basic guitar song chords. They all use the chords we covered in the basic guitar chords tutorial (I suggest you print the basic guitar chord chart sheet to keep an easy reference).

Chords are placed between two vertical lines like this: | |

This is called a bar. Each bar has 4 counts. If there are 2 chords in 1 bar then each has a duration of 2 counts. Bars without a chord mean that the previous chord is repeated.

2 or more guitar chords played in succession we call a guitar chord progression.

Here are some popular guitar chord progressions:

Basic 12-bar blues chords

\|E7	\|A7	\|E7	\|	\|
\|A7	\|	\|E7	\|	\|
\|B7	\|A7	\|E7	\|B7	\|

House of the Rising Sun (The Animals/trad.)

Click here for the guitar tabs of House of the Rising Sun (+ video and guitar chord chart).

Note: this song is in 6/8 what means that every bar lasts 6 counts.

\|Am	\|C	\|D	\|F	\|
\|Am	\|C	\|E	\|	\|
\|Am	\|C	\|D	\|F	\|
\|Am	\|E	\|Am	\|	\|

Drive On (Johny Cash)

\|E	\|	\|A	\|B7	\|
\|B7	\|	\|E	\|B7 E	\|

Papa Loves Mama (Brooks Garth)

\|E	\|	\|A	\|	\|
\|B7	\|	\|C	\|B7	\|

Hotel California (The eagles)

\|Am	\|	\|E	\|	\|
\|G	\|	\|D	\|	\|
\|F	\|	\|C	\|	\|
\|Dm	\|	\|E	\|	\|
chorus:
\|F	\|	\|C	\|	\|
\|Dm	\|	\|Am	\|	\|
\|F	\|	\|C	\|	\|
\|Dm	\|	\|E	\|	\|

Suzie Q (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

\|E	\|	\|	\|	\|
\|A	\|C7 B7	\|E	\|	\|

Once you know how to play these basic guitar song chords I suggest you take a step further and dive into frustration and dispair (just kidding) trying to learn how to play bar chords.